The Second Generation
by KattandMimi
Summary: An incredible account of Hogwarts and the surrounding wizarding world during the times of Albus and Rose. This story is written realistically and attention is given to detail. Featuring both new and original characters with pictures in our profile.
1. Chapter I Part I: The New EVIL

Hello everybody, we are **Katt **and** Mimi** and this is just the beginning of our marvelous story! It is not our first fan fiction in general, but it is our first dip in the world of Harry Potter fan fiction. So, of course, ANY form of reviews are welcome. We are writing this not only for our own satisfaction, but also for the enjoyment of you, the readers.

_(Just to be on the safe and legal side of the fence, we DO NOT own any part of Harry Potter or any of the characters, terms, locations, or events mention in any of the Harry Potter novels #1-7, nor do we plan to copy anything that belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling.)_

P.S. We have a rather large collection of images of characters that we will post with the introduction of each new character.

Without further adieu...

**_Part I. The New E.V.I.L._**

A tall, mysterious man hidden in a black cloak glided through the woods, stopping every once and a while to occasionally glance over his shoulder. While his robes were dark, his skin was pale enough that it looked almost completely white. He had no beard or markings on his face, or anywhere else on his body. He walked with a sense of command and supremacy. He kept a slender, polished stick out in front of him. He held it like a murderer would hold a knife.

He continued his way through the forest, and then stopped abruptly. He jerked his head to the right of his body, and a jet of green light came rushing out of the stick. All of the animals in the area fled at the sight of the light. The man mumbled, "Just a rabbit." He however, did not continue to walk. He peered through the trees, and muttered lazily, "_Expelliarmus_". Another shiny stick shot up in the air, and the cloaked man caught it in his other hand. "You vill have to do better than that, Carrow."

"Sir, I only wish to serve—"

"Serff me? You are only a child! You are not efen of age!" He replied, spitting on the younger cloaked man.

"I am your most dedicated servant, Sir! Age does not matter! We discussed and agreed that I will be useful when I am in Hogwarts!"

"Yes, but you are of no use to me now! You haff the trace on you!" he snapped, throwing the extra wand he had caught aside. "Pick it up!" He spat.

"Yes, Sir", the other man mumbled. He walked slowly to the stick that was now on the forest floor, while the other man said,

"Oh, vell that von't do. I said, PICK IT UP!" He roared. "You are vasting my time! _IMPERIO!_"

The other man snapped up straight, and then sprinted to the wand. He stiffly bent over and picked it up, then ran back to the other man.

"Good, very good", the man replied slyly. "Now, let's haff a little fun, shall ve? _CRUCIO!_" The younger man instantly fell to the floor twitching, screaming in pain.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" The taller man said, flicking his stick. The man on the floor was silenced by an invisible gag. "Get up", he snarled. The man on the ground, however, remained lying there, very still. "GET UP! _IMPERIO!_" The man other man got up and walked to the first man. He stood there, as if waiting for instructions. "You vill go home, and tell anyone who asks that you ver out for a bit of fresh air", the taller man snapped. "You vill forget vat happened this night, and you vill not attempt to contact me until you are in school, and only using our vays of contacting each other. Do you understand?" The man nodded, and they parted as he started to walk out of the forest.

The remaining man walked for another half of an hour until he reached a clearing. Massive webs hung all around the trees in this area, and it looked as if it had once been the center of a gathering. Tilting his head back, he stared up at the sky, which was pitch black and sprinkled with stars. The hood of his robe slipped off while he was doing so, and he hastened to pull it back over his head. The man returned his gaze to the opening, and muttered a few words while circling the open space. Something caught his eye, and he ran to the ground, some six feet from where he was standing. He fell to his knees and pointed his stick at the ground. With another flash of light, the dirt around the area cleared, forming a small hole. The man reached into the hole and pulled out a black rock about the size of a quarter. He kissed the stone and stood up, walking to the center of the clearing. Three times he turned the stone over in his hand, and on the third time a figure, neither solid nor transparent, emerged from the crack in the stone. It stood in front of the man, and spoke,

"Who wishes to speak to Lord Voldemort? Declare yourself!" The figure, Lord Voldemort, who had emerged from the rock walked briskly back and forth in a straight line. When no answer came, he shouted, "DECLARE YOURSELF!" If there were any more animals in the area, they would have all fled by now.

Voldemort looked as if he had once been handsome, but his beautiful features had been melted, distorting his face. His eyes were reduced to slits, and instead of them being brown, green or blue, they were red. Not any red, blood red. It was a color only procured by murder.

"My name is Eaudulf, my Lord. Eaudulf Vladimir Iagan Lauver."

Voldemort looked up into the man's face, curious. The man quickly looked down to his feet. Voldemort paused in his walking for a second, then continued and asked, "Who are you descended from? Lestrange? Avery? Carrow? Dare I say, Malfoy?" His lips twitched into a smile, but a very sinister one.

"No, my Lord. I vos not a Death Eater. If I vos, my Lord, I'd be in Azkaban."

"You speak of my followers as if they are finished, no more. Is this true?" On the last word, Voldemort whipped around, and rushed up to Eaudulf with a tone of fear and anger in his voice. . "Eaudulf, is this true? Are they gone?"

"My Lord, it is hard to say—"

"LIES!" he screamed, and his features became even more hideous. "DO NOT LIE TO LORD VOLDEMORT!" He seemed to me searching his pockets, as if looking for a stick similar to Eaudulf's. "My wand…" He muttered. "WHERE IS MY WAND!?" He shouted, and his eyes flashed red.

"My Lord, I am sorry my Lord, but as you are not truly alive, I do not think you vill be able to… practice magic." Eaudulf said this quickly, and then rushed to say, "But that is vy I am here, my Lord. I seek your guidance, your visdom of the Dark Arts, to continue your goals. I vish to purify the vizarding community. I haff already rounded up followers who are villing to help. Ve vish to finish the great task you haff not completed."

Voldemort did not speak for a moment, as if to ponder Eaudulf's proposal. In a few minutes, Voldemort replied, "Very well. You are very faithful, Eaudulf, and I can sense the greatness you will achieve. Have you branded your followers with the Dark Mark?"

"My Lord, ve decided against branding The Mark, because ve thought, my Lord, that…. that vos how many of your followers had been caught—"

"Do you suggest that Lord Voldemort's ways were foolish?" He said, starting out slowly. "Do you think that my mind is simple?" "YOU DARE DEFY THE MOST POWERFUL WIZARD EVER?!" He yelled madly, screaming up to the heavens.

Something seemed to snap in Eaudulf's brain, because at that moment, he looked up into Voldemort's eyes and said very slowly, yet strongly, "If you vere the most powerful vizard ever, they vy vere you murdered? Murdered, in fact, by a seffenteen year-old?"

Voldemort stared at him curiously, and then questioned, "So, what are you planning to use to replace The Dark Mark?"

"My Lord, ve use rings", Eaudulf replied, thrusting his hand forward, showing Voldemort the gold ring on his hand.

"How do they work?" He asked curiously, peering down at the piece of jewelry.

"Vell, my Lord, they appear to be class rings, but they are engrafed. On the inside of each ring, it says "Foreffer Pure."

"And what is the point of that?" sneered Voldemort. "What will a motto do to further your goals?"

"I vos not finished, My Lord." Replied Eaudulf, removing his ring. "The script inside can change ven myself or others vish to send messages to the rest of the group. The ring-vearers vill feel a burning sensation on their finger, alerting them to the incoming message."

"That is all very well and good, but you must remember the disloyal members you are sure to encounter." Said Voldemort coolly.  
"The Dark Mark can never be erased; it lives forever on the member's arm. Your ring, I am afraid, can be easily removed."

"Ah, but I am not so easily effaded." Answered Eaudulf smugly. "If von removes the ring, permanently, that is, and has no intention to effer replace it, the messages vill continue to be vritten into the flesh of vhere the ring once vos. My followers, of course, are not avare of this."

Voldemort squinted his eyes at the gold ring in Eaudulf's hand. "I'm afraid I have underestimated you, Eaudulf. You would have been an excellent Death Eater."

"Ah, my Lord, but if I vere a Death Eater, I vould not be here right now", he replied smugly. "Now, my Lord, are you not curious as to vot the black stone on the ring does?"


	2. Chapter I Part II: The Tickling Sensatio

(Just to be on the safe and legal side of the fence, we DO NOT own any part of Harry Potter or any of the characters, terms, locations, or events mention in any of the Harry Potter novels #1-7, nor do we plan to copy anything that belongs to the amazing

_(Just to be on the safe and legal side of the fence, we DO NOT own any part of Harry Potter or any of the characters, terms, locations, or events mention in any of the Harry Potter novels #1-7, nor do we plan to copy anything that belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling.)_

The Potter Family:

i86./albums/k92/kittkatt12345/ThePotterscopy.jpg

The Weasley Family:

i86./albums/k92/kittkatt12345/TheWeasleysRon.jpg

_II. The Tickling Sensation_

Miles away, in a white marble house with high ceilings in London, a man named Harry Potter awoke with a peculiar sensation on his forehead.

"Ginny… Ginny wake up", he said softly, rolling over to reach for his glasses on his nightstand table. He sat up in their bed and flicked the lamp on the table on. "Ginny—"

"I'm up, I'm up", she replied, rubbing her eyes. She too, sat up in the bed, and blinked at the harsh light. "What's bothering you?"

"I… well…I…", he started, looking into her eyes. They stared back at him, and he knew at once that she would not laugh about what he was going to say. "I felt my scar… tickling."

"Tickling?" She asked. "Has it ever tickled before? I remember it hurting when he was really happy, but never tickling." She stared at the wall in their bedroom, and she seemed to be in deep thought.

"It's weird. This has never happened, and I have no idea why. I mean, I understand that it burned when Voldemort was very emotional, but he's dead." _He's dead_. He repeated to himself in his head.

Ginny continued to look at the wall for another minute, and then said, "You don't think it's because something his Death Eaters are doing?"

He thought for a moment, then said, "No… well not directly. It's not like I started to look into the minds of his followers."

"Wait-", she started. "You used to be able to see things when your scar hurt. Do you remember anything? Did you dream about something?"

"No… I don't think so", he started. He rubbed his forehead, and then added, "Although, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm remembering flashes of things. I think they were in a forest."

"They?" She asked. "Who's they?"

"I don't know", he said truthfully. "I just saw two figures. One was hooded and cloaked, and the other was… the other was…" He started. Ginny raised her eyebrows, and he said, "The other was Voldemort, I think."

"Harry, I think you should go talk to Ron and Hermione—they were with you when you destroyed the Horocruxes. Well… just Hermione. No offense, but Ron can't really contribute to a serious conversation." She smiled, and he said,

"I don't take offense, he's your brother."

"Oh, yeah. Well, go talk to them, and then come back home. We can discuss it some more in the morning… I'd come with you, but I hate to wake up the children." She yawned, and then said, "I'll go get Ariana." She slipped a robe on and walked out of the bedroom, leaving Harry chuckling to himself. He put on a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt in a matter of seconds, and Ginny came in and propped the painting against the wall.

"Lily's up, bless her. She's practicing magic in her room. It's amazing how well she can control it", said Ginny, trying to stifle another yawn. "I told her to go to bed, though. She complained, but I told her that I wouldn't let her go to King's Cross Station to see off James and Al if she didn't go to sleep right away." She laughed, and then said, "Say hello to Ron and Hermione for me."

Ariana smiled at them, and then opened the door behind her. Harry kissed Ginny on the cheek quickly and climbed into the painting.

Harry walked through the dark tunnel, the only light coming from the tip of his wand. There were dead insects and remains of rodents in the tunnel, yet he had to give credit to it. The tunnel was ingenious.

When Aberforth died, he left Harry and Ginny the picture of Ariana, and Ron and Hermione the painting that was in the Room of Requirements. They both kept them someplace safe, so they had a tunnel connecting their houses. Of course, you could always Apparate, but Harry had never taken to the feeling of being sucked into a small tube and suffocated. It was also an easy way for the children to travel between the two houses. However, Hugo and Ron never did get used to the dead spiders hanging from their webs. Nevertheless, the tunnel was a good hiding place, if they ever needed to escape.

As he was getting near to the end, he started to hear voices. He listened closer, and he heard,

"Muuumm, _I_ wanted the pot!"

"Well, your father wants a pot, and I've only made one. But I have two soup ladles, so you can use one of them."

"Yes! I get the pot!"

"RON! He is your _son_ for god's sake! Don't go rubbing it in his face!"

"Mum, I'm right here."

"Oh, sorry Hugo. Okay, everyone get into positions."

"Wait- was I to the left of you or Hugo?"

"Ron, we've practiced this a million times."

"Yes but I'm confused without Rose. She's usually to my right."

"How does that affect your positioning? Besides, we should let her sleep. She's going off to school tomorrow."

"It _does _affect my positioning! If she tilts to a forty-five degree angle—"

"Oh just _shut up _already! The intruder might be here any second."

_So that's what they think I am_, Harry thought to himself. He chuckled, and then thought, _I guess they don't realize that I'm coming through the tunnel. _He reached the door at the end, and opened it quietly. He snuck through the painting, and saw that Hermione, Hugo and Ron were standing in a line with their backs turned towards him in an attack position, each clutching either a soup ladle or a cooking pot. He decided to let them know he was not an "intruder", so he called out, "Oy! If you're going to attack me, you might want to face me!"

Hugo was the first to turn around, and when he saw Harry he yelled, "UNCLE HARRY! UNCLE HARRY!" He ran up to his Uncle to give him a hug, and dropped the soup ladle on the way.

Ron and Hermione both yelled, "_No!" _and dived to the ground to catch the falling utensil, but it was too late. As soon as the spoon touched the ground an invisible wall burst out from nowhere, and the force of the spell pushed Ron and Hermione across the room in opposite directions. Hermione got up first and drew out her wand. She lifted the spell and the invisible wall went away. "Hugo, honey, you have to be careful!" she whispered. "And let's not try to wake Rose."

Ron had gotten up, and he walked towards Harry. "Blimey Harry. Next time warn us that it's just you."

Harry laughed and then said, "Okay. But what is that?" He asked, pointing to the pot and the other ladle.

"That", replied Ron "Is effing brilliant."

"RONALD WEASLEY! Watch your MOUTH around your son!" Hermione yelled in a whisper. "Sorry Harry", she said apologetically to him. She turned to face Ron again, and then said, "Ron, can you _please_ put Hugo back to sleep? I'm sure Harry wants to TALK to us." She stressed the word 'talk'. She kissed Hugo on the head and then headed towards the kitchen.

Ron looked at the door where Hermione had just exited, confused, and then seemed to understand. "Come on Hugo", he said, swiftly pick up his son. Hugo protested, but his sounds died down as he was carried up the stairs and into his room.

Hermione came in the living room with three butterbeers. "Sorry Harry, we really thought that you were a trespasser, and we're all out of firewisky—Ron drank the last of it yesterday."

"No problem, Hermione", he replied, smiling. "But seriously, what are those?" He nodded his head towards the pots and ladles.

"Oh, they're nothing, really", she started quickly, blushing. "Just something I whipped up, actually."

Ron appeared at the top of the stairs and said, "Nothing would be an understatement. They're more like bloody genius, that's what they are."

"Oh, well, you know", she replied, flustered. "Take the pot, for example. I just had to use a binding chart to attach the stunning spell, along with an everlasting charm because we wouldn't want it to wear off, of course. Because I was binding a spell, not an object, I had to use a solidifying charm to set the atoms of the spell so that they would attach to the pot itself. I think that was the trickiest part." She added. "When you throw the object, or drop it", she said, looking sadly at the spot where Hugo had let the ladle clatter to the ground, "The binding charm releases, and the hex, jinx or spell is let open to the area surrounding the object", she finished. "They're great for the kids, since Rose can't legally practice magic at home and Hugo has no idea how to control his."

"So the pot stupefies, and the ladle produces a shield charm", Harry confirmed.

"Yes, and I've been trying to charm the cheese grater to release 'Petrificus Totalis', but I think the holes in it prevent the binding charm from fully attaching itself", she rambled, pausing for a breath of air. "I've tried using a cutting board, but the wood is too porous. Maybe a coaster would work", she said, talking to herself this time. "Although, that would go against the whole kitchen supplies theme I was going for", she muttered.

"Oh, so that's what those cheese graters were for", Ron recalled. "I hung them up outside for Rose and Hugo—they wanted a wind chime. It was a little shocking to see three dead birds lying on the porch when we woke up the next morning." He stared out into the distance for a minute, and then added, "Although I guess they weren't dead, just frozen."

"And _Ron_ wants me to sell them to George… he claims that we'd make millions", Hermione said.

"We would!" He replied defensively. "Only you claim that it'd ruin the whole point—"

"Well of course it would!" She cried. "Imagine if the Death Eaters or any other dark wizard got a hold of them! It would ruin the shock of it. At least if they attacked us now, we'd get a few seconds head start while they looked at us stupidly all clutching kitchen utensils. It would just weaken our defenses. Honestly, Ronald Weasley, I don't know what's going through your head half of the time." She pulled her wand out and levitated the empty butterbeers into the kitchen. "I'm just going to get some more." She snapped.

Once she had exited the room, Ron muttered to Harry, "Although, I told her that if we had all of that money, we could _hire_ someone to guard our bloody door, but apparently that wasn't an option." He chanced a glance at the kitchen door and then said, "She's getting to be like old Mad-Eye, isn't she?"

Harry snickered, and then Hermione came back in with three new bottles. When they were all seated back down, Harry spoke. "Speaking of dark wizards", he started, "I wanted to tell you guys something."

"Oh, yes, sorry Harry. Is that what you came to talk to us about?" Hermione asked.

"No, he came just to see our exploding pots and soup ladles", Ron said sarcastically. Hermione shot him a reproachful glance, and he immediately stopped talking.

"Erm... yeah. So just hear me through." He said. He told them about how he had woken up with his scar tickling, and that he only remembers seeing a flash of a forest and two figures- one cloaked and one semi-transparent. Once he was done, they sat there muddling in their thoughts. Hermione was the first to talk.

"You don't think… you don't think that it was a Death Eater talking?" she asked, still in thought.

"Ginny asked the same thing", he said. "No, I don't think so. It's not like any of them gave me another scar." He instinctively rubbed his forehead, as he had done many years ago. "No, I think one of the figures was Voldemort."

"Blimey Harry", Ron said with shock. "You don't think that… that he's come back? Maybe he made another Horocrux when he heard that we were destroying them?"

"Ron, I think splitting his soul into seven was enough", Hermione replied thoughtfully.

"Yeah, but remember Dumbledore said that he was beyond 'usual evil'. Maybe he thought that seven _wasn't_ enough", Ron said.

"No, I don't think he made any more Horocruxes. He always thought that he was the only one to know about them, remember?" Harry answered. "I just… I just don't understand. This hasn't happened for years. And tickling…"

"Harry, I'd look it up, but—" Hermione started. She, however, was cut off by Ron.

"Wait- so you're not going to look it up?" He stared at her, and then said, "Well that's a first."

"You didn't let me finish." She snapped nastily. "I'd look it up, but I packed all of the good books in Rose's suitcase, and I'd hate to wake her up." She glared at Ron, and then finished, "Besides, I've already read all of our books multiple times that mention cursed scars or rebounded spells, and none of them mention a tickling sensation or reactions after the spell caster is dead. I'll have to go to another library for that…" She stared off into the distance, no doubt picturing herself searching through the rows of books.

"Okay, well I think it's about time that I head back", said Harry, stifling a yawn. "Thanks for everything, guys. I'll send a patronus in the morning." He got up from the sofa and started to walk back over to the portrait where he had entered from.

"Harry, are you sure you don't want to go by flu powder?" Hermione suggested, already walking towards the fireplace. "It would be so… so much—", she started, stopping to let a yawn overtake her. "Quicker", she finished.

"Harry, you realize that there are… spiders in there?" Ron said fearfully, glancing over his shoulder to the painting.

"Oh Ron, honestly, get a grip on yourself", Hermione replied, magicing the bottles into the kitchen. "Harry, are you sure?"

"Yeah, I fancy a walk anyway. Thanks for… everything." He kissed Hermione on the cheek and shook hands with Ron, and then climbed into the painting. He turned around to shut the door behind him, when he saw Hermione and Ron sitting on the couch, whispering to each other. Hermione sighed, and rested her head on his shoulder. Harry locked the door.


	3. Chapter II: Hogwarts, A History

**Chapter Two**

_Hogwarts: A History_

_an: see profile for links to pictures_

"Ashwinder" questioned Rose, looking up at the young boy next to her.

"Erm… a large… bird-like… black thing?" replied Albus uncertainly. He glanced out the window- they were still gliding peacefully along the countryside. The steady rhythm of the train was calming, yet inside it was hectic and loud. All of the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were crammed into this one train. It was only Albus and Rose in their compartment, but he was expecting a visit from his older brother, James. Their mother had given Albus James' Bertie Botts Beans instead of his Chocolate Frog (which he was sure that James had). "And… erm… something with their feathers…"

"No. No, stop" interrupted Rose impatiently. "First of all, you're thinking of an Augurey. Besides, an Augurery is a thin bird that is _greenish_ black. It's extremely shy and only files in heavy rain. The feather 'thing' you are talking of is the fact that their feathers cannot be turned into quills." She stood up, shoved the book at Albus, and walked to the door of the compartment. "An Ashwinder is created when a magical fire is allowed to burn for too long. It's a pale-grey serpent with red eyes, and if its eggs are frozen they are of great value." She stopped, turned around, and pronounced, "I'm going to change into my dress robes, so I will not have to do it later. By the time I come back you should have that memorized." She started to walk out of the door, but Albus called after her.

"ROSE! Why do I have to know all of this stuff?! We haven't even stepped_ foot_ into the castle yet!"

"Because", she replied. "My mum says that my magical education is very important, and so is yours. If our parents hadn't had proper education, Voldemort would still be prowling around killing off every other person." She continued down the hallway of the train, leaving Albus to himself.

Albus opened _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, but then immediately chucked it onto the bench facing opposite of him. He sat there for a minute and thought of what his father had just told him, _"The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account."_ He tilted his head back, resting it onto the cushion behind him. He closed his eyes, pictured the Sorting Hat screaming "GRYFFINDOR!" after being placed on his head, and smiled. Yes, he was going to be in Gryffindor.

Albus sat there quietly for a moment, glad that the compartment doors blocked out the earsplitting sounds of excited students in the hallways. He was just starting to drift off to sleep when the door opened, bringing the screams of laughter with it.

"Oye! Sorry!" said a mysterious figure. Before Albus could even open his eyes, the head popped back out into the hallway.

"No, wait!" Albus shouted after him. He sprung up from the comfortable bench he was sitting on, dashed after the figure, and walked up to him in the hallway. "You can come back and sit in there with us. It's just me and my friend." The boy looked confused, considering he had only seen one lone person in the practically empty compartment. "Oh, well, she'll be back soon at least." he explained. The dark haired boy stood there for a minute, but then obediently followed Albus back into the compartment. When they had entered inside and shut the door, Albus stuck out his hand and said, "Albus Potter. And you are…?" Albus looked at the strange boy. His skin was fair, spotted with light freckles. He had dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Between his soft appearance and his slightly slouched posture, he gave off a laid back feeling.

"R.J. Rosen" he muttered softly. Albus noticed that he was also shy, and he helped him shove his suitcase into a storage compartment above the seats. He motioned for R.J. to sit down. Once they were all settled, Albus asked him a few questions.

"So, are you a first year too?"

"Yeah", he replied. He gazed out the window, and continued. "My mum and dad are what you call 'Muggles'. I didn't even know about all of this wizarding stuff until a week ago. Does it make any difference that I have muggle parents?"

Albus thought for a moment then replied, "Maybe years ago. But it doesn't really matter now." R.J. breathed a sigh of relief, which sounded like it had been built up for days. "So what do you know so far about Hogwarts?"

"Well, I know that it's a huge castle. And I know that the Head Mistress is Professor McGonagall. There's something about four different houses based on these founders or something…"

"Well you got the part about the castle right. It's huge and has different hallways and moving staircases." informed Albus. "And the Head Mistress is Professor McGonagall. There are four houses, Gryffindor, Syltherin, Ravenclaw, and Huffelpuff."

Albus continued explaining to R.J. all about Hogwarts. He talked about the classes, the campus, and the rules. He told him about all of the legends and ghosts. He finally got to Quidditch. Just as he was finished explaining the game, the compartment door opened and Rose came in.

"Albus! Are you finished studying?"

Albus shifted his gaze from the R.J. to the now open compartment door and said, "Rose, this is R.J. He's a first year too."

Rose looked at R.J., grinned, put her hand out, and rambled, "Nice to meet you R.J.! I'm Rose Weasley. Aren't you _so_ excited to be going to Hogwarts!? I _can't_ wait! Think of all the different classes we can take! And all of the extra curricular activities! I just heard a rumor that there's going to be a junior wizard club or something. I doubt that first years will be accepted, but you never know! So, what were you saying about Quidditch? Did you know that Albus' dad was the youngest seeker _ever_?!"

R.J. sat there dumbstruck. He looked at Rose, then to Albus, and then back to Rose. He managed to mutter "No, I—I didn't know that."

Albus could tell that R.J. was becoming uncomfortable, so he said, "Rose, did you know that R.J. is muggle-born? Just like your mum? I just finished telling him the basics about Hogwarts and Quidditch." He was trying to change the conversation—academic talk usually wiled up Rose. Unfortunately, this didn't work. Rose's eyes widened, and she said excitedly,

"So he doesn't know who our parents are!? He doesn't know what they did!? Oh Albus this'll be _great_! We can tell him _everything_ during the remainder of the trip!" Luckily, the lunch cart came around, and R.J. and Albus were spared from further rambling from Rose. Well, at least for a half hour or so. Once Albus had bought lunch for them all (Harry had given him a large sack of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts before his departure, instructing him to not speak a word of it to his mother), they quickly ate the delicious sandwiches and Cauldron Cakes. Just as Albus was starting to wonder if James was ever going to come, the door was burst open. But instead of James, it was Scorpious Malfoy, Dax Goyle, and Andrea Carrow.

"Aw, how cute. Itty Bitty Potter's growing up and talking to another person!" sneered Malfoy.

"Look! It's Rose Weasley! Did you move into your grandparents' hut? Did they have to add another level of _straw_ to it?" snickered Andrea.

Rose got up and walked up to Malfoy. Her face was so close to his that their foreheads almost touched. "Well, our homes aren't bombarded by the Ministry, requesting to search our houses." She gave him a deathly glare, and he replied,

"Isn't it _your_ grandfather that searches our houses? The old hag still has to work to pay for his charming little house that's going to topple over any day now."

Now Albus was angry. He joined Rose across the small room, and said firmly, "At least our grandfather isn't in Azkaban."

Malfoy's face became still. However, soon a malicious grin spread across his face. "At least my grandparents aren't dead, rotting in their graves." He snickered. "At least my dad didn't grow up like a mud-blood."

"HEY! NO ONE INSULTS OUR FAMILY!" James yelled loudly. Albus just noticed that he had been standing in the compartment. James threw Albus' chocolate frog onto the soft bench, and roughly pushed Malfoy up against the wall. "Next time you want to be a wise ass, come directly to me." The smile on Malfoy's face disappeared and was replaced by a scared expression. But he put on that evil smile again, and James turned around to find Arran Carrow and Sabrina Guler in the compartment.

"Is there a problem here, Scorpious?" Arran asked slyly with a grin. James dropped his grip on Malfoy, and walked up to Arran.

"Your precious cousin here was just insulting my family."

"I have _no_ idea _how_ we're going to solve this little problem!" Sabrina replied sarcastically. "It's one third year, verses a sixth year and a seventh year. _Who's_ going to win?" She rolled her eyes, but widened them when she saw who was squeezing into the already crammed compartment.

"Oh, Sabreena, 'vee meet again." Victoire Weasley said with her heavy French accent. She looked exactly like her mother-- tall, blonde and beautiful. "'eez there a problem 'ere?" she asked. "Because I am sure zere 'eez somezing I can do about 'et."

"No _Victoire_" Sabrina said, dragging out her name. She snickered, then mimicked her accent, "'zere 'eez no trouble 'ere". She tilted her head back and laughed shrilly, "I am _Victoire_! I am _so_ beauziful!"

Just by looking at Victoire's face, you could tell that she was furious. "At 'zeest my face does not look like 'zee derriere of a hippogriff!" she snapped.

It continued for a quarter of an hour. They screamed at each other, insulted each other's families, and James even managed to sneak a punch to Malfoy's face. But one shy little boy in that compartment had had enough. He was sick of it. He took a few deep breaths, stood up on the bench, and screamed loudly in the compartment, "IF ALL OF YOU ARE JUST GOING TO SCREAM AND SPIT ON EACH OTHER, THERE ARE PLENTY OF OTHER COMPARTMENTS IN THIS TRAIN!" He gave a firm glare, plopped back down onto the bench, and pretended to become deeply interested in Albus' _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ book.

The compartment quieted immediately. He heard mumbles, and he could swear that James muttered, "Albus, gimme my Bertie Botts Beans, mum gave me your chocolate frog…" Victoire gave a kiss on each cheek to James, Albus, and Rose, and then exited last. When Rose had finally shut the compartment door, she opened her mouth to say something, but R.J. cut her off,

"Wow do you guys have a twisted relationship! What in the BLOODY hell was _that_ about!?"

Rose gave him a weary expression and said, "I'd have to start from the very beginning, and it's a very long story." She sighed and sat down next to Albus, across from R.J. She rested her head back and started to close her tired eyes. Her soundless peace was interrupted, however.

"It's a very long train ride." Stated R.J. He raised his eyebrows and put a mixed look of question and annoyance upon his face. He waited for a minute or two for Rose to reply.

"Fine." She muttered. And so she began. She started from the very beginning, over thirty years ago. "It was on the night of Halloween, a muggle holiday you probably know of. A happy family in hiding was sitting around their living room, laughing and smiling. They were soon disrupted by the unwanted presence of an unwanted person…"

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Victoire stomped into her compartment, meeting the people who had been sitting there all along. She shut the door not too softly, sat down between Lucas Pointure and Emanuele Precious, and whipped her long, slivery blond hair back. She looked around the crammed room to find her twin-like sister, Dominique, and her sister's best friend, Katherine Pointure, sitting on the bench facing opposite of her. Fred, Lucy, and Molly Weasley were also jammed into this overcrowded space, and they smiled back weakly. Once everyone had shifted slightly and grumbled about how squished they were, they began to talk. "'Et still botherz me 'ow Sabrina can be so cruel and evil and still march around with a twisted smile on 'er 'ideous face.", she snapped. Victoire glared out the window, and took a sip of her bottled mineral water. Once she had swallowed, she continued with a more peaceful but still annoyed look on her face. "I 'vent to go visit Albus and Rose only to find 'er verbally attacking zem! Does she not 'ave anything better to do 'zan insult innocent children!?" She furiously drank the mineral water, then capped it and placed it back into her large tote bag sitting by her feet. She glared around at the people in the compartment, daring anyone to defy what she had just said. After a minute or so had gone by, she decided to change the discussion—if you could call it one. It mainly consisted of her ranting. "So, 'oo do you think 'eez 'zee new potions professor? I 'eard it 'eez a woman."

Glad to be changing the discussion, Lucy replied, "I think it is. I heard the Syltherin's talking, and they said that her name was—"

"Stephanie Rittner. She's supposed to be a real bitch." Her twin sister, Molly, cut in. "I heard that she's middle aged, but still isn't married—"

"Probably because she's such a mean hag." Lucy finished, cutting off Molly. They glared at each other, and each pouted a little "ugh!". Their cousin, Fred, who was the same age as them, tried to get them to stop. His attempts were rejected.

"You know Fred, if you keep trying to prevent us from fighting," snapped Molly

"We might have to shun you from this compartment!" Lucy finished. They looked at each other, and once again screamed an annoyed "UGH!"

"Oh, Dominique," Katherine started, "Did you read about the W.I.T. Council they're going to start this year? It was in the letter from Headmistress McGonagall."

"Oh yes! I am _so_ excited!" she squealed. "What do you want to be? I 'zink I just want to be one of 'zee councilmen 'zis year. Of course, we will have to change it to council_woman_."

"Wait—what is this W.I.T. Council?" Lucas asked "Dominique, could you explain it to me? I never fully read the letter…"

"Typical Lucas. Can't even read." Joked Emanuele. He flashed a smile to Lucy and Molly, then turned and winked to Dominique and Katherine. He didn't even try to play around with Victoire; it was too dangerous for him.

Dominique raised her eyebrows to him and said, "Don't even try Emanuele; you are too much of a troll for any of us." She giggled and then turned to Lucas, "'Ze W.I.T. Council is new 'zis year… it stands for Wizards In Training Council. It is only for 5th, 6th, and 7th years. 'Zey have a junior one for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years I 'zink. I do not know exactly what 'zey will do, but I know 'zat we have a week to run in 'zee election."

"Oh, thanks Dominique. I might just run for councilman, I don't think I'm really into being a President or anything…" he flashed her a soft smile, and her cheeks turned bright red. She suddenly busied herself by looking for an object that did not exist in her purse.

"'Zat 'eez 'et!? Just a councilman!? I am going to run for 'zee Prezeedon!" she said quickly, surprised. When Victoire became angry, surprised, or any mood other than her ordinary one, she talked extremely fast and her French accent became heavier. When they gave her confused faces, Katherine explained to them,

"She means President."

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"I still wonder if I was placed into the right house", said Michelle Pointure uncertainly. She ate the jelly bean that James had just given her, and continued, "I mean, the sorting hat kept saying, "You'd do very well in Ravencl—" Her face turned a horrid shade of green. "JAMES POTTER DID YOU JUST GIVE ME A VOMIT FLAVORED JELLY BEAN!?" she immediately spat it out into her hand, and shuffled across the compartment to the window. She opened it, and threw it out into the rushing wind. She slammed it shut and turned around to look at James. "Well? Did you!? Or did you just give me an anchovy knowing that I hate them and now I'm just tasting MY OWN VOMIT!?" she shrieked.

He turned to Gregory Vance, and they burst out laughing. In between gulps of air, he managed to say, "It—is a—vomit flavored—one!"

She looked at him furiously, but her best friend Roxanne Weasley was able to scold them before her. "We're a year older James, and if you keep this behavior up, we'll write your mum!" They continued laughing, but what she said next made them stop, "Fine! Laugh now! But I'll doubt you'll be laughing when you're sent a HOWLER as a BACK TO SCHOOL PRESENT!" Their faces became still, and Vance managed to mumble out a few words,

"Gosh… don't have to be so mean… you're only a year older…"

"Louis is the same age as us", James said, glaring at them.

"We are not mean to you. It is all in your stuffy little heads", replied Michelle. "Here, each of you take a chocolate frog. Think of it as a peace treaty. Louis, you can have one too", she handed the chocolates to them, and continued, "Besides, Louis is in our grade, not yours." She tried to stifle a laugh as they started to unwrap their chocolate.

"Okay. First, Louis _is_ in your grade, but he's our age!" Vance whined.

"So he skipped a grade, big deal! He's more mature than both of you", she said, glaring at Vance and James, "Combined. What was the second thing?" She tried to stifle another laugh with less success this time.

"Why are you laughing!?" Vance asked. He, James, and Louis unwrapped their sweets at the same time. Instead of chocolate frogs hopping out, confetti and miniature fireworks exploded from the tiny cardboard boxes. They're faces were shocked, and then turned into wide grins.

"How'd you do that?!" James questioned with excitement. Roxanne knew that they just wanted to know so that they could make more for school, but she still answered their pleas.

"Well, since my Dad owns the largest chain of joke shops in all of the wizarding community, we gave him a few empty chocolate frog boxes, and he added the finishing touches. Free of charge, of course." Michelle and Roxanne slapped high fives, and Michelle reached into her bag.

"Her dad also gave us some… exclusive… items." She pulled out of her bag another few chocolate frog boxes, a lemon drop, and a few mysterious looking muggle items which included a yo-yo, a paper clip, and a Chinese finger trap. Louis just chuckled, but Vance and James' eyes lit up.

"Of course none of it is dark magic… it's just for pure entertainment. Still, Dad asked me not to get caught. He said that they're just experiments, and he's deciding if he's going to sell them", Roxanne rushed, explaining to them that they mustn't tell anyone.

"SWEET!" James pronounced excitedly. "Can we have some?!"

Michelle and Roxanne looked at each other, and then decided on giving them each a chocolate frog box. They were expecting more, but then after a quick "We don't have to give you anything" from Roxanne, they were content with what they had. "Remember", reminded Roxanne, "Don't let anyone know where you got these. Especially Filch. I'm astounded that he's still around. Even my Mum said that she was shocked that he didn't drop dead yet."

They kept talking, joking, and planning. It was more of James and Vance rather than Louis, Michelle and Roxanne, but they joined in as well. They all agreed that they wanted to leave a mark in this school, one way or another. James and Vance looked up to Fred and George, and the other three to their older siblings. "It's about being an excellent student" Michelle and Roxanne would agree on.

"Yeah, if you want a stupid trophy. If you _really_ want to be remembered, you have to have the record for the most detentions and pranks pulled on Filch", James and Vance would say.

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"So are we meeting Lysander at Hogwarts?" Julianne Pointure asked to her fellow schoolmates in their compartment. There were only four people in their compartment, and they had plenty of room. The only annoyance was Olivia's owl. Jibbers, she called him, seemed to be restless.

"I think that was the plan", replied Ellie. She glanced at the bird sitting in Olivia's lap, and twitched when it made a particularly loud screech. Ellie Precious and Julianne had been friends since their older siblings had been friends, which meant a long time. They had also met Lysander the same year they met each other.

"What do his parents teach again?" Eric Langer asked. Eric and Olivia were twins, and were in the same grade as Ellie and Julianne.

"I think his mum teaches Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid, but I think she's also good at Divination", Julianne explained. "Ellie, what does his dad teach?"

"I'm pretty sure he's the Charm's Professor", she replied.

"What other teachers are here this year?" asked Olivia. She reached into her bag and fed Jibbers a carrot.

"Well I think, according to Emanuele, Professor McGonagall teaches Transfiguration, and is the Headmistress." Ellie started. "Julie, didn't your sister Katherine say that she heard that the new Potions teacher is Professor Rittner?"

"I think that's what she said. She also said that History of Magic is still taught by the ghost, Professor Binns. I don't know who teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts. I guess that job's still jinxed", she said with a shrug.

"What do you mean? The job's jinxed?" Olivia asked curiously.

"It was when our parents went to school. They couldn't keep a teacher for more than a year. I'm sure that they had a Professor for more than one year at _some_ point, but basically, it's cursed", explained Josh.

"Wait, Josh, how did _you_ know that? _I_ didn't even know that" asked Olivia smugly.

He shrugged his shoulders, and replied, "I guess you weren't listening when mum explained it."

They kept talking of the school and their summer adventures—if you could call them that.

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"…and _that's_ why we hate them", Rose finished. R.J. sat there awestruck, and once again stared out the window. He turned his head back and faced them.

"So it's all true?" he asked.

"No. I just made it up now." Rose replied sarcastically. "OF COURSE IT'S TRUE!" she screamed. "How could I make something up that was that terrible!?"

R.J. mumbled a "sorry" and they started to feel the train slow down. "I guess we're here."

"Oh I can't wait until we get sorted! I want to be in Gryffindor." Rose replied, much chirper. R.J. seemed happier at this, and added,

"You know, I think I just might want to be in Gryffindor as well." He smiled. "Albus, what about you?"

Albus' stomach dropped, and he slowly replied, "I want to be in Gryffindor too." "_At least I think so_." He added to himself. He grabbed his suitcase that Rose had gotten down for him and followed Rose and R.J. out of the compartment in a daze.

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	4. Chapter III Part I: The MisSorting

Chapter Two

**Chapter Three Part I**

_The Mis- Sorting Hat_

_(Just to be on the safe and legal side of the fence, we DO NOT own any part of Harry Potter or any of the characters, terms, locations, or events mention in any of the Harry Potter novels #1-7, nor do we plan to copy anything that belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling.)_

Albus, Rose, and R.J. exited the train together and followed the loud but friendly voice; "FIRS' YEARS OVER 'ERE!" Once they had stepped out of the train, a gust of wind snapped at them, ruffling their dress robes and their hair. Albus, still nervous, looked up anxiously at the large castle in the distance. "FIRS' YEARS OVER 'ERE!"

"Hagrid!" screamed Rose excitedly, running up to the half-giant, half human. He grabbed Rose and Albus and pulled them into a huge hug. After being placed back down onto the ground and taking a few large gulps of air, she continued, "Hagrid, this is R.J.! We met him on the train."

"Nice to meet 'yeh", said Hagrid, sticking out a large hand. R.J. looked up at the massive man standing before him, and slowly stuck out his hand. After it was crushed, Hagrid continued to instruct the first years, "LIS'EN UP!" The nervous crowd of eleven year olds looked around, trying to find the person that the voice belonged to. Once they saw it was Hagrid, their faces turned pallid. Little did they know Hagrid was one of the nicest people they would ever meet. "WE'RE GOIN' TUH THE CASTLE BY THE BOATS. EVERY'UN PAIR UP IN'TER GROUPS OF FIVE!" He glanced down at Rose, Albus and R.J., and said to them. "No need 'fer you guys tuh find a'nuther person. I'll go with you." He gave them a smile and his eyes twinkled. It had been a long time since he had seen a young Weasley or Potter. He missed the days when they'd run up to his hut and tell him that Malfoy or Snape were up to no good. "Seems like yes'turday", he mumbled.

"What was that Hagrid?" Rose asked, climbing into the boat. Once she was in she scooted over to make room for him.

"Nuthin'… so are you guys comin' over 'fer tea on Friday?", he replied. "Hold that thought" He steered the boat so that it was leading, and screamed to the other students, "DON'T STICK 'YUR HANDS IN THE WATER! THE GIANT SQUID DON'T LIKE THA'!" he glared angrily over to the boat containing Malfoy, Andrea, and Goyle. They were taking their wands and pointing them towards the water's surface. "Oh well… bet'er they find out themselves anyway", he grumbled.

"Yeah, mum and dad reminded me before we left." Albus said. There was a quick pause, and he continued, "Hey Hagrid? Is the Sorting Hat still around?"

Hagrid chuckled to himself and then answered, "'Yuh sure bet it is. Has been 'fer ages. Was even ther' when I was at Hogwarts."

"Hagrid, has it ever… you know… mis-sorted someone?" Albus asked nervously. His face was pale and strained.

"Nope. Not tha' I've heard of." He said. "Don't get worried 'bout it Albus." He added, ruffling his hair. "'Yer parents are goin' to be proud with whatever house 'yuh placed in." He chuckled once again and smiled. "I won't be surprised if 'yur all placed in Gryffindor." They sat for a few minutes, silently taking in the beautiful campus. The sky was darkening, and the stars were starting to peek out. There was not even a stray cloud in the sky. Albus looked all around and could see the Quidditch field. Just when he was about to ask Hagrid when they'd be there, he heard a gruff voice shout, "WE'RE HERE! EVERY'UN GO IN'TER THE CASTLE AND WAIT IN THE ENTRANCE HALL." He lowered his voice and spoke to R.J., Albus and Rose, "I'll see 'yuh in the Dining Hall." He winked, and they followed him, disappearing in the large crowd of first years. When they entered the castle, they obediently waited in the Entrance Hall. Just when they thought that someone must have forgotten about the first years, Headmistress McGonagall came out of the Dining Hall and said,

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will now be sorted into one of the four houses; Huffelpuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, or Gryffindor. When your name is called, please come up to the front of the Hall and sit on the stool. The Sorting Hat will be placed upon your head. After it has determined which house you will be in, please walk, not run, to your house's table." Her firm face softened, and her thin lips curved up into a smile. "You will find that in your next seven years at Hogwarts, you will have some of the best, and worst times of your lives." She scanned the group of them and ordered, "Follow me please."

The anxious group walked quickly behind Headmistress McGonagall, huddled together. They managed to get into alphabetical order, and she took a four-legged stool out of mid-air. Along with the stool came the Sorting Hat, and she placed him on the short, round bench. The Dining Hall suddenly became quiet, and all of the students, teachers, ghosts, and paintings drew their attention to the patched, brown hat glaring at the crowd. A long slit at the brim opened, and the Hat began to sing a song:

_Thousands of years ago_

_Hogwarts was built._

_Built off of desire, hopes,_

_And Guilt._

"_Guilt?" you say, _

_For surely they'd have none,_

_But yes, oh yes,_

_They all had some._

_Each founder assumed_

_That his or her views_

_On how each student should act_

_Would be the law of the school._

_Silly Gryffindor assuming all would be brave,_

_Impractical Huffelpuff thought they'd all behave._

_Stupid Ravenclaw believed they ought to be smart,_

_And Slytherin,_

The Hat stopped in mid-speech, with his brim open wide. He glanced around the room, and then continued. A look of shock and worry spread throughout the room.

_Slytherin alleged they should all be superior in the Dark Arts._

The Hat stopped again, glancing at the Slytherin table. "Never in my years…" muttered Headmistress McGonagall.

_Although Slytherin, _

_I must say,_

_Experienced guilt in a different way._

_His sadness was not upon others,_

_Oh no,_

_His sorrow was on himself._

_Instead of creating the school all alone,_

_He was forced to share the glory with three others,_

_Without his own throne._

_He was forced to admit students,_

_He thought were dishonorable,_

_The muggle-borns, he called them,_

_He refused to instruct._

_But three over powered one,_

_And they moved on,_

_But not Slytherin,_

_Who created dark secrets within the halls._

_And so they created this school,_

_And four houses with it._

_Gryffindor, Ravenclaw,_

_Huffelpuff, and Slytherin._

_I have never failed to sort properly,_

_For surely they'd sew a new me,_

_So let me inside your head,_

_And determine which house you should be!_

Everyone in the Dining Hall burst into a cheer, and the Sorting Hat screamed, "Yes, yes thank you!" Headmistress McGonagall took a large scroll of parchment and put on her reading glasses. "Let the sorting begin!" the Hat cried.

"Ackerley, Spencer!" The first name had been called. The young, frightened boy ran up to the stool, and placed the Hat on his head. It sat there for a moment, and it seemed to be puzzled.

"HUFFELPUFF!" it screamed at last. A large cheer erupted, and the less nervous boy almost ran to the table.

The sorting continued, and Albus was only half listening. He heard names such as Carrow, Andrea and Goyle, Dax, and heard cries of "SLYTHERIN!" afterwards. He stuck his head up, alert, after hearing "Longbottem, Papaya!" He glanced back at Rose, who was towards the end of the line. She was jumping up and down, trying to show Papaya a 'thumbs up' sign. He saw Papaya quickly walk up to the stood and sit down, placing the Hat on her head. It waited a second before screaming, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table stood up, and clapped loudly. Screams of "WAY TO GO PAPAYYAAA!" could be heard, and Headmistress McGonagall had to ask them to sit down and 'shut their mouths' before she could continue. Even after the next name was called, Albus continued to look at the tables. The table farthest right was full of sparkling green and silver robes. He looked at the people sitting there, became disgusted, and scanned the other two tables, Huffelpuff and Ravenclaw, before continuing to Gryffindor. He saw most of his relatives at that table, including his brother.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!" he snickered and walked with a swagger up to the chair. He plopped himself down, although there was no need to. As soon as the Hat had touched his slick, blonde hair, it opened its mouth and said (partially sarcastic), "This should be hard. SLYTHERIN!" The table farthest to the right jumped up, cheering and clapping.

Albus looked across the room, back to the Gryffindor table. He saw James, and their eyes met. James nodded to him. From James to Albus, this was like saying "You'll be fine." Of course, James would never admit to that, but to Albus it was all the same.

Rose snuck out from the alphabetical order and ran up to Albus. "You'll do fine", she whispered. "I'll see you at the Gryffindor table", she finished with a wink. She silently walked back to the W's, and had just enough time to look up when Headmistress McGonagall said,

"Potter, Albus!" at the sound of his name, the whole school looked up, and silence could be heard. **??**

"_Well it's now or never",_ He thought to himself. He reluctantly walked up to the stool and sat down. He gently picked up the Sorting Hat, placed it on his head, and waited. "Well, well, well." It said, his voice sending shivers down Albus's body. "Another Potter. Going to be as famous as your father?" "_We'll see",_ He thought, replying. The Hat continued. "Let's get back to business. Which house, which house?" He paused for a minute. "Well… you'd certainly do fine in Huffelpuff or Ravenclaw… but I think you'd be more suited for…" Albus waited. "_Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin. Not Slytherin",_ He kept repeating to himself in his head. "Not Slytherin, eh? May I ask why?" _"I don't want to be in Slytherin"_, he simply stated. "Maybe because the most powerful wizard ever came from Slytherin? The one that tortured members of your family for years?" _"I DON'T WANT TO BE IN SLYTHERIN!"_ Albus shouted at the Hat. "Well… you'll be just like your father then." The Hat replied slyly. "See you later… or not."

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat cried. A cheer erupted from the Gryffindor table, and all of the students jumped to their feet, screaming at the top of their lungs.

Secretly relieved, Albus stood up from the stool, placed the hat back onto it, gave it one last resentful glance, and walked towards the applauding table. He was patted on his back, given a kiss by someone that sounded like Victoire, and had his hair ruffled numerous times. James even managed to mutter a "Good job, bro", before grinning and walking back to his seat. After Headmistress McGonagall had let them cheer for a good three minutes, she cleared her throat and said with a smile,

"I know that you Gryffindors are all very proud, it is your nature." She smiled even bigger, being the head of the Gryffindor house. "However, we need to continue the sorting, so please take your appropriate seats", she finished, with a more serious tone. "Radena, Beth!"

Albus walked down the table to Papaya, and took the seat next to her. She gave him a big grin, and wrote on a spare piece of parchment; _Tell me all about your summer after the sorting_. Albus nodded and smiled back. The weight in his chest had lifted and he felt much happier. He realized that he was hungry, but waited patiently until the end of the sorting. "Rosen, Randolph Jacob!" The name sounded familiar to Albus, but he did not realize who it was until he saw a very pale, but flushed boy walk hurriedly up to the stool. A few students from the Slytherin table snickered, but Professor McGonagall silenced them. He sat down quickly, and it took a minute for the hat to sort him.

'_So that is his full name'_,thought Albus to himself. _'I wonder what house he'll be in…'_, Albus did not have to wait long, however. At that moment, the Hat opened its brim and screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table gave a polite clap and a few cheers, and the sorting continued. R.J. walked up to Albus and sat down across from him. "Don't say a word." He muttered. They politely listened to the rest of the sorting, waiting for the name "Rose Weasley". In a few minutes, they heard the second to last name called,

"Weasley, Rose!"

A fairly tall, dark blond girl walked steadily up to the stool. When she had reached her destination, she flipped her hair back slightly, "A girl ahf-ter my own 'eart", muttered Victoire, as the girl took her seat on the stool. With her legs crossed, she placed the hat on her head. It seemed to be taking a while, and Rose had muttered the word 'no' many times. But the hat seemed to have made its decision.

"RAVENCLAW!"

Another polite clap and cheer erupted from the table, and Rose stood up from the stool. She did not put down the hat, however.

"NO, NO, NO!" She shrieked. "I WILL **NOT** BE IN RAVENCLAW! I _TOLD_ YOU THAT!"

"I stand by my decision", it replied slyly. She pulled out her wand and pointed it furiously at the hat. Every witch, wizard, ghost, and portrait raised its eyes to the front of the Hall in shock.


	5. Chapter III Part II: The Switch

Some of you have expressed concerns about keeping up with all the characters, which is a very valid point. So, in our profile, we've posted a link to a chart that we use to keep track of the dozens of Hogwarts students. It includes name, age, and Hogwarts house. :)

**Chapter Three Part II**

_The Switch_

_(Just to be on the safe and legal side of the fence, we DO NOT own any part of Harry Potter or any of the characters, terms, locations, or events mention in any of the Harry Potter novels #1-7, nor do we plan to copy anything that belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling.)_

_Also, we would like to ask humbly for reviews - nothing fancy, even just a blank post to let us know that people are actually reading this. And for those already reviewing, thank you SO MUCH, we truly appreciate it :D_

_**"I stand by my decision", it replied slyly. She pulled out her wand and pointed it furiously at the hat. Every witch, wizard, ghost, and portrait raised its eyes to the front of the Hall in shock.**_

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth to speak, but the Hat beat her to it. "Stupid girl", it said with a chuckle. "What harm could you do to a hat? Are you going… to torture me?" it mocked. Rose did not release her grip on the Hat or on her wand, and Professor McGonagall started to speak sternly,

"Rose Weasley. Report to my office… NOW." She turned to the crowd and said without enthusiasm, "Let the feast begin." The tables filled with an assortment of marvelous foods, but a lone first year turned to Headmistress McGonagall to follow her, away from the excitement and joy.

"Excuse me, but… I haven't been sorted yet", said the first year.

"Oh, yes, my mistake", replied McGonagall distractedly. "Zimmer, isn't it? Weren't your parents in Ravenclaw?"

"Yes, Professor, but—"

"Then Ravenclaw it is", she replied sharply, turning her back.

"OH SO BECAUSE _HER_ PARENTS WERE IN RAVENCLAW, SHE'S PLACED IN RAVENCLAW!?" Rose shrieked. "BUT WITH ME IT HAS TO BE DIFFERENT!"

"But—but Professor, I would like to have the—the hat sort me…" Zimmer said slightly stuttering, walking up to the stool.

"Oh for heaven's sake!" snapped Headmistress McGonagall. She grabbed the Hat from Rose and shoved it on Rachel Zimmer's head. It yawned from boredom, and said lazily,

"Ravenclaw"

"There. Now go eat!" Ordered McGonagall. "Follow me, Weasley!"

Rose walked furiously after the Headmistress, and Albus silently got up from his seat and followed. He saw R.J. and Papaya raise from their seats too, but motioned for them to sit back down. He quickened his pace to reach Rose, and he held her hand; he thought he heard her sniffle. With a reassuring squeeze, they continued their way up to the office.

"Severus Snape", said Professor McGonagall. The gargoyles immediately sprang to life, and the statue of a bird started to rotate, moving a series of stairs along with it. It functioned as an escalator in a circular path, leading to the room above. She stepped onto it, and started moving upwards. "Potter, it is not necessary for you to be here. Please go back to the feast." Rose stepped on after her, and so did Albus.

"I am sorry, Professor, but I think it is."

The Headmistress looked back, slightly shocked, but then replied, "Very well. You may come." The stairs suddenly stopped moving, and Professor McGonagall opened the door. They all stepped inside.

It was exactly the same as Albus' father had told him—a large, circular room with hundreds of portraits of old headmistresses and headmasters. On a slightly raised platform stood the desk, and on top of it lay numerous spinning and flashing gadgets. In the largest frame, centered above the Headmaster's chair, hung a picture of the man Albus had been named after. Albus gazed at him, and Professor McGonagall noticed. "Yes, that is Professor Dumbledore."

Albus walked closer to the frame, and was slightly startled when he started to speak to him, "Ah, we have visitors, Minerva! So this is the fine young man that I share a name with. I am surprised, however, to see you hear so early in the year." He looked Albus up and down, and then continued, "Yes, yes", he murmured. "Just like your father. Oh, what a pleasant surprise!" he said happily, looking across the room to Rose, "I have the pleasure to meet Miss Weasley as well!" The portrait smiled, but Professor McGonagall cut in,

"Yes, Albus, but I must admit, Miss Granger— I mean, Weasley", she said, correcting herself in mid-sentence, "Is not here on pleasant terms. She attacked the Sorting Hat after it placed her into Ravenclaw." The portrait of Dumbledore raised its eyebrows,

"Ah… is that true Miss Weasley?"

"Yes, Professor", she confessed, lowering her head.

"And she was going to jinx it, is that right, Miss Weasley?" Asked McGonagall, turning to Rose.

"Well, Professor, I was actually planning to hex it, being as a hex would be more appropriate on an object because it will bind better, but yes, I was planning to cast a spell on it", she replied.

The portrait chuckled, and replied, "You are just like your parents…well, your mother at least. Minerva, I think we should find out why Miss Weasley wished to hex the Hat."

"I am sorry Albus, but I have to say that that is a foolish question, for we already know the answer! She did not like being placed into Ravenclaw!" she replied.

"Minerva, Minerva. No question is foolish, but I can understand how you would think that mine was. Let me re-phrase it. Let us find out why Miss Weasley wished to hex the Hat _after_ it sorted her into Ravenclaw." When no one spoke, he asked again, "So, Miss Weasley? Why did you wish to hex the Hat?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor", she said hurriedly, "It is just that both of my parents were placed into Gryffindor, and all of my family members. All of my friends are in Gryffindor as well. I would not be able to stretch my education to its fullest extent if I am in Ravenclaw, because I would simply not be happy."

The Headmistress opened her mouth, but Dumbledore spoke first, "Let me handle this dilemma, Minerva." She opened her mouth again to protest, but he just continued, "Miss Weasley, you know very well that although certain houses tend to run in families, there will always be exceptions. Can you think of an exception?"

She thought for a second, and then replied, for answering questions was what she was best at. "Sirius Black, Sir."

"Ah, very good. Your parents have told you many important things. As you know, Sirius Black was placed into Gryffindor even though every other member in his family had been in Slytherin."

"But, Sir, Sirius was content with being in Gryffindor. I, however, am not… pleased with being in Ravenclaw", she replied, choosing her words carefully. "And I know that the Sorting Hat never mis-sorts, but I think that I belong in Gryffindor", she finished softly. This time, however, instead of looking at her feet, she looked straight up at the portrait.

"Well, Miss Weasley, I am happy to say that the Sorting Hat has indeed mis-sorted students of Hogwarts in past years", replied the painting. All three persons in the room looked up with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Albus, I have never heard of such a thing—", McGonagall cut in.

"Ah, but Minerva, us Headmasters do like to keep our secrets… for the lack of a better word, secret." A few of the other portraits hanging on the walls nodded and mumbled, and for the first time Albus noticed that they were all listening in to their conversation.

"But, Professor, the Hat always says in its song that he has never mis-sorted a student", Rose pointed out politely.

"Yes, very good point. However, I doubt that the Hat would draw attention to its flaws. We, as Headmasters, also made sure to wipe away all evidence of the mis-sorting, to prevent snags later on."

"Who was placed into the wrong house, Albus?" asked the current Headmistress. "Was it when I was a teacher here?"

"Yes, yes indeed. You know her very well, and so does Miss Weasley and Mr. Potter", Albus gasped, but Rose just opened her mouth to talk,

"It was my mother, wasn't it, Professor?"

Albus looked to Rose and Professor McGonagall, and could see that the Headmistress was in shock.

"Professor, why did Aunt Hermione never tell us?" asked Albus. Before Dumbledore could answer, however, Rose opened her mouth.

"Because you used the 'obliviate' spell, is that correct?" she said, looking at Dumbledore. He nodded, and she saw that as a sign to keep going. "You must have…" she said, thinking. "You must have used…" she paused for another moment, then said suddenly, "The Time Turners. Yes, that's it. They were still in existence when my mum was sorted, because… because they hadn't smashed them yet at the Ministry of Magic." The portrait nodded eagerly again, and she continued, "And… you, you went back in time after she had been placed in Ravenclaw, because she was very unhappy. She had met my father, Albus' father and Papaya's father on the train earlier, and she wanted to be in the same house as them. Yes, yes, it all fits!" she said excitedly. "And she came to you because she wanted to switch houses. So then you used the Time Turners to go back and make the hat place her in Gryffindor… even though he still thought that she should have been in Ravenclaw. And you erased the memory from my mum… because… I'm sorry Professor." She said, disappointed with the last piece of information. "I just don't understand that part."

"Yes, well, your mother had a hard time understanding that as well." He said, chuckling. "But I must say, how did you figure all of that out?"

"Well, it was simple, really, once I thought about it", she said. "The hat said he'd never make the mistake of sorting a Granger into Gryffindor again, so I had my suspicions then. Then when you said that he had mis-sorted before, everything my mum had told me about their years at Hogwarts had just… fit." He looked up at her, beaming, but she was still discontent with the last bit of it. "But, Professor, why did you erase her memory of it?"

"Ah… yes. Well, I did not want her to have the burden of this memory- her years at Hogwarts should have been pleasant. If she had known that I had 

switched her, she would have spent her seven years wondering if she was truly 'worthy' of Gryffindor. But she had far proved that she belonged in that house."

"So… Sir, may we tell her now?" Albus asked.

"Well, I think that is a decision for yourself and Miss Weasley to make. Now, are we going to re-sort a certain pupil?" Rose beamed, and the portrait smiled back. Albus was smiling as well, yet Professor McGonagall still had her lips pursed together into a thin, straight line.

"How do you suggest we do it, Albus?" McGonagall asked, drumming her fingers together, thinking.

"Alas, I am sorry Minerva, but I can help you no further. It is another secret rule that us Headmasters have- you must deal with mis-sortings by yourself." He chuckled, then added, "I bid you good luck and a good night's sleep. I am going to visit my portrait in Molly Weasley's house. Sometimes I can almost _taste_ her chocolate pudding…" With that, he vanished from their sight, leaving two very happy students and one very strained Professor.

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End file.
